SATURDAY 09 MAY 2026
SAT 19:00 The Good Old Days (b06wdtbh)
Music hall show, filmed at the Varieties Theatre Leeds in 1976. Includes guests Edward Woodward, Larry Grayson, Frank Carson, Margaret Savage, Sheila Mathews, Ted Durante and Hilda, Peter Gale, and Albert Aldred.
SAT 19:45 Dusty (m0015f8t)
Series 1
Episode 4
An edition of Dusty Springfield's 1960s variety show, first broadcast on 8 September 1966, with the voices of Madeline Bell, Lesley Duncan and Barbara Moore. Her special guests are American vocal quartet The Four Freshmen.
SAT 20:10 Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (b007b92p)
Series 3
Childsplay
The Wainthropps' nephew has been excluded from school, but has he been wrongly accused of misbehaving? Hetty is determined to find out.
SAT 21:00 The Count of Monte Cristo (m002vz9p)
Series 1
Episode 3
Embedded in Parisian high society, the Count methodically destroys those who betrayed him, only to discover that vengeance threatens to consume the innocent along with the guilty.
Based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas.
SAT 21:50 The Count of Monte Cristo (m002vzb5)
Series 1
Episode 4
As his plans reach their end, Edmond must choose between revenge and mercy, confronting the cost of becoming the man he set out to be.
Based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas.
SAT 22:30 Keeping Up Appearances (b007brsg)
Series 2
Problems with Relatives
Sitcom about an irrepressible snob. Hyacinth's quest for perfection is somewhat hampered by the dubious antics of the rest of her family.
SAT 23:00 Sorry! (p00xch50)
Series 2
Sons and Lovers
Sitcom. Timothy's handsome cousin Brinsley comes to stay - and supplants Timothy in Mother's affections.
SAT 23:30 Talking Pictures (b0699b7m)
Anthony Hopkins
A look back at the life of the Oscar-winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins. In interviews conducted with the BBC over the course of his career, we see him discuss his approach to acting, his hell-raising years and the famous films and roles that helped make him a star. They include Remains of the Day, Shadowlands, Nixon and, of course, The Silence of the Lambs, in which he first portrayed his most celebrated character, Dr Hannibal Lecter.
SAT 00:15 Dusty (m0015f8t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:45 today]
SAT 00:40 Genius of the Ancient World (b064jf28)
Buddha
Historian Bettany Hughes embarks on an expedition to India, Greece and China on the trail of three giants of ancient philosophy: Buddha, Socrates and Confucius. All three physically travelled great distances philosophising as they went and drawing conclusions from their journeys. With Bettany as our guide, she gets under the skin of these three great minds and shines a light on the overlooked significance of the 5th century BC in shaping modern thought across the world. In this first episode, Bettany investigates the revolutionary ideas of the Buddha.
SAT 01:40 Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (b007b92p)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:10 today]
SAT 02:30 The Good Old Days (b06wdtbh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
SUNDAY 10 MAY 2026
SUN 19:00 Planet Earth III (m001txdt)
Series 1
Wonders of Nature
This special episode brings together highlights from the series, from hidden forests and turbulent coasts to vast, unexplored deserts.
We begin in the oldest desert on earth – the Namib in south west Africa. A pair of ostriches raise their family in the searing heat to keep them safe from predators – but time is ticking as the chicks begin to hatch. Outside the egg, the newborns won’t survive long in these temperatures, but not all the clutch hatch at once. For the whole brood to survive, the parents need to time their departure perfectly, but they are forced to make the difficult decision to leave behind unhatched eggs. As the family depart, one more newborn emerges, and the lone chick wanders the vast desert calling for its family.
Away from the tropics, in the cold waters off North America, the sun fuels forests of giant kelp. It is a dangerous place for young horn sharks as giant sea bass and large sharks patrol looking for prey. The real danger, however, is buried beneath. A little horn shark unwittingly stumbles into an ambush set by an angel shark. With a lightning strike, it is swallowed whole, but it is not over yet – the little horn shark has a secret weapon.
From kelp forests to rainforests, animals must develop remarkable strategies to survive, and, in the Amazon jungle, alien-like treehoppers form surprising alliances to keep their young safe and fight off deadly assassin bugs. Here, it pays to work together.
In the open grasslands of Africa, hunters are driven to new heights to gain the advantage. Leopards are the most adaptable of big cats, and a handful of special individuals have learned to hunt by hiding and leaping from treetops – some higher than the roof of a two-storey house. Their lives depend on them getting this unique game of hide-and-seek right, and when they do, their prey doesn’t see them coming.
Freshwater is the lifeblood of all life on earth, and the stage for extraordinary animal dramas.
In Botswana, nestled amongst flowering water lilies, newly hatched lily trotter chicks learn a vital lesson – how to ‘walk on water’. Their oversized feet, almost double the length of their body, make for a wobbly start, and their dedicated father will do whatever it takes to keep them safe during the most vulnerable stage of their lives.
South Africa’s Robberg Peninsula is a treacherous place to start life. Thousands of Cape fur seals are squeezed onto a small ledge. A clumsy yearling pup escapes to the water, and once immersed, the youngster is nimble and graceful. In recent years, this coast has been home to unprecedented numbers of great white sharks, and to protect themselves, the seal colony do something extraordinary - they band together to see off the world’s most notorious predator.
Many animals must now rise to a new challenge – living alongside us. Some are meeting this challenge head-on and thriving. In Bali, long-tailed macaques have learned to steal tourists’ most valued items and then use them to barter with temple staff for their favourite food. The older, wiser males simply won’t give you back your phone unless they get just what they want.
A lucky few can succeed in a human world, but our impact now extends to even the most remote corners of our planet.
On the tiny Raine Island, tens of thousands of female green turtles come ashore to nest, but many are stranded by the ebbing tide. The island is on borrowed time. This, the world’s largest green turtle rookery, may soon disappear beneath the waves.
SUN 20:00 David Attenborough: A Life on Air (p031d2k6)
Michael Palin presents a profile of the television career of David Attenborough, from controller of BBC Two to his wildlife programmes such as Life on Earth and The Blue Planet.
SUN 21:00 Life on Earth (b01qgr55)
The Infinite Variety
The first ever episode of the landmark natural history series Life on Earth. David Attenborough explores the wildlife and landscape that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
SUN 21:55 Natural World (m001g5gz)
Short Versions
Tiger Dynasty
Documentary following a pair of tigers released in a nature reserve. They must fight for territory and learn to hunt. Will they mate and start a family, or will they be killed?
SUN 22:00 The Magic of Dance (p0gwdl7g)
Series 1
The Ebb and Flow
Dance has almost always moved freely across frontiers. Just as in the 19th century, Italian and French dancers went to Russia to make their names, so in the 20th century, Diaghilev reversed the flow by bringing the Ballets Russes to live and work in Western Europe. All part of the ebb and flow of dance.
Margot Fonteyn visits Tchaikovsky's house near Moscow and talks to Marie Rambert about Diaghilev. The programme includes unique film of Pavlova, as well as Mikhal Baryshnikov dancing Petrushka.
SUN 23:00 Omnibus (m002vzlm)
Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire
An Omnibus special, first broadcast in 1995, shortly after the death of Ginger Rogers. The film looks at how the legendary Fred and Ginger musicals were made and features anecdotes from Rogers and clips from Astaire's last television interview.
SUN 23:50 Puttin' on the Ritz: The Genius of Fred Astaire (b00787wm)
A short compilation of clips from Fred Astaire's days at the RKO studio, where he formed an unforgettable partnership with Ginger Rogers.
SUN 00:05 Dance Passion Swansea (m0024rqh)
Dancers of all kinds take over Swansea’s streets, landmarks, parks and beaches to showcase the city, explore what home means and celebrate the life-enhancing joy of dance. The performances feature solos, duets and ensembles across a variety of dance styles, including ballet, Latin, contemporary, ballroom, breaking, traditional clog and Welsh folk. Locations range from Mumbles Pier and skateboard park to Swansea Bay and the dunes, beaches and bays of the Gower peninsula.
SUN 01:05 Planet Earth III (m001txdt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
SUN 02:05 Life on Earth (b01qgr55)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
SUN 03:00 David Attenborough: A Life on Air (p031d2k6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
MONDAY 11 MAY 2026
MON 19:00 University Challenge (m001clkh)
2022/23
Episode 5
The first round of the quiz competition for students continues. Cranfield University makes its first appearance since 1999 against four students from Royal Holloway, University of London. Jeremy Paxman asks the questions.
MON 19:30 Only Connect (b00drsq2)
Series 1
Episode 3
Quiz show presented by Victoria Coren in which knowledge will only take you so far, as patience and lateral thinking are also vital. It is all about making connections between things which may appear, at first glance, not to be connected at all.
MON 20:00 Lost Cities of the Ancients (b00792vj)
The Dark Lords of Hattusha
It was one of the greatest vanishing acts in history. More than 3,000 years ago a mysterious and ruthless civilisation rose from nothing, created a brutal and unstoppable army and built an empire that rivalled Egypt and Babylon. Yet, just as it was at the height of its powers, the great empire suddenly vanished from history.
This is the story of the formidable Hittites, a civilisation bent on world domination. Their long-lost capital, Hattusha, which disappeared thousands of years ago, was recently rediscovered. Archaeologists have unearthed one of the most astonishing and ingenious cities of the ancient world, featuring rings of impenetrable walls, secret tunnels, temples, palaces and a vast pyramid-like structure facing Egypt.
Buried in this lost city is one of the greatest libraries of the ancient world. All the secrets of the mysterious Hittite empire were written in two codes - one a unique form of hieroglyphs. Using these deciphered texts, the film recreates the ancient world of the Hittites, telling the story of what happened to them, and what caused an empire built to last forever to vanish so completely from history.
MON 21:00 Art of Scandinavia (b073mp87)
Dark Night of the Soul
Scandinavia - a land of extremes, on the edge of Europe. Andrew Graham-Dixon explores the extraordinary art to come out of the dark Norwegian soul, most famous for producing The Scream by Edvard Munch.
MON 22:00 The Sky at Night (m002wbqf)
Jodrell Bank: Tuning Into the Universe
It started 80 years ago with a field, army surplus, wartime radar and a visionary idea - and it changed how we see the universe forever. In this episode, we step inside the remarkable story of Jodrell Bank Observatory and its towering Lovell Telescope, an instrument that scientists have used to listen to the cosmos for almost 70 years.
Taking us on this journey, Maggie Aderin meets research scientist Dr Emmanuel K Bempong-Manful to discover how the team he is in decide who gets time on the renowned Lovell Telescope, and what it can reveal. But connect this giant telescope with telescopes across the UK, and it becomes the headquarters of E-Merlin. That gives astronomers incredible resolution with which to view the universe in ways never seen before - delivering powerful results that deepen our understanding of how the cosmos works.
But how did this site become home to such an iconic scientific landmark, nestled in the Cheshire countryside? Professor Tim O’Brien takes Maggie on a tour of Jodrell Bank’s early history, from its beginnings as a botanist’s field, through the adaptation of wartime radar using army surplus, to the construction of what was, at the time, the world’s largest steerable radio telescope - an ambition many believed impossible. Driven by the vision of Bernard Lovell, the project ran dramatically over budget and needed a miracle to be completed - which arrived with the onset of the Cold War.
At the University of Manchester Library, Chris Lintott joins Professor Danielle George, GCHQ’s chief scientific adviser for national security, to examine previously top-secret files revealing Jodrell Bank’s role at the height of Cold War tensions. From tracking potential intercontinental missiles to listening in on the Soviet race to the moon, Chris uncovers the ingenious technologies and human stories playing out during one of the most perilous periods in modern history.
Back at Jodrell Bank, the telescope’s constant watch on the sky continues. George Dransfield meets PhD student Phoebe Ryder, who is exploring how the Lovell’s extraordinary sensitivity can be adapted to study threats orbiting Earth - helping scientists anticipate potentially catastrophic collisions that could prevent any space launches - for years to come.
Moving between past, present and future, this is a story of ambition, ingenuity and quiet vigilance - a reminder that some of the most important frontiers are explored not just by looking deeper into space, but by listening carefully to what the universe is telling us.
MON 22:30 British Art at War: Bomberg, Sickert and Nash (b04jvlk2)
David Bomberg: Prophet in No Man's Land
In the years preceding 1914, David Bomberg, Walter Sickert and Paul Nash set out to paint a new world, but, as the century unfolded, found themselves working in the rubble.
David Bomberg is now recognised as the most startlingly original British painter of his generation, but died in obscurity more than half a century ago.
A Jewish immigrant from London's east end, his early modernist works pushed art to its limits. Fighting at the Somme, David Bomberg watched the world splinter and fall apart just like the works of art he had created. Bomberg spent the rest of his life searching for order in an increasingly disordered world, and his wanderings took him as far as Palestine, before he settled at the end of his life in Ronda, Spain.
When he died in 1957, embattled and in poverty, he seemed to be no more than a footnote in the history of British art. However, the works that survive David Bomberg tell their own story. Combative and iconoclastic, he remains the most elusively original British painter of the 20th century.
MON 23:30 Art That Made Us (p0bvgvtm)
Series 1
Rise of the Cities
The 19th century saw a decisive shift in power from the countryside to the cities. With the industrial revolution transforming the British Isles, a divide opened up between the urban and the rural, forcing artists to respond to the upheaval to lives and the landscape. Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson reflects on the inspiration of JMW Turner, arguably the first environmental artist, and we encounter Penry Williams’s attempt to capture the beauty of industry with paintings like Cyfarthfa Ironworks Interior at Night.
Some artists attempt to capture the poverty and squalor caused by the rapid urbanisation around them. Actress Maxine Peake reads from Elizabeth Gaskell’s campaigning novel North and South, architect Fiona Sinclair assesses Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson’s architecture for the people of Glasgow, and artist Jeremy Deller explores William Morris’s drive to bring nature back into Victorian homes through his hand-crafted wallpaper designs.
As art becomes appropriated by commerce in the late 19th century, some artists fight back with new individuality and flair. Writer and drag performer Amrou Al-Kadhi explores the meaning and inspiration of Oscar Wilde’s writing, and artist Shani Rhys James reflects on the quiet anger that simmers underneath Walter Sickert’s Camden Town Nudes, an unflinching vision of the grimy realities of working-class lives at the turn of the 20th century.
MON 00:30 An Art Lovers' Guide (b09yndw6)
Series 2
Lisbon
In the first of a series of city adventures, Janina Ramirez and Alastair Sooke head to Lisbon, rapidly becoming one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations.
Winding through the city’s cobbled streets, from its steep hills to the picturesque shore line, the cultural riches they encounter reveal the city's fascinating history.
From a spectacular monument to the maritime globetrotting of Portugal’s golden age and the work of a photographer documenting the city's large African population, they discover a complex history of former glories and a darker, slave-trading past.
Their journey also uncovers the impact of 20th-century dictatorship on the city's artistic and cultural life, through the work of contemporary artists Paula Rego and Joana Vasconcelos.
And they discover how the city's location on the west coast of Europe, looking out to the Atlantic, has shaped the cosmopolitan spirit of the city. In one of the city's Fado clubs, Alastair and Nina enjoy the popular Portuguese folk music, whose beautiful melodies celebrate a yearning for home, once sung by sailors dreaming of their return.
MON 01:30 Omnibus (m002vzlm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:20 Art That Made Us (p0bvgvtm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:30 today]
TUESDAY 12 MAY 2026
TUE 19:00 University Challenge (m001ctbj)
2022/23
Episode 6
The University of Glasgow takes on Queen's University Belfast in another first-round match in the quiz competition for students. Jeremy Paxman asks the questions.
TUE 19:30 Only Connect (b00f3n41)
Series 1
Episode 6
Quiz show presented by Victoria Coren in which knowledge will only take you so far, as patience and lateral thinking are also vital. It is all about making connections between things which may appear, at first glance, not to be connected at all.
TUE 20:00 Keeping Up Appearances (b007bg0k)
Series 2
Onslow's Birthday
Hyacinth is dreading being invited to Onslow's birthday party almost as much as he dreads her agreeing to come. However, she changes her mind when she learns that Rose's new boyfriend, a well-to-do Greek businessman, will be picking her and Richard up from their home in his limousine.
In true Hyacinth fashion, she decides to hold a cocktails and canapes party starting an hour before the limousine's planned arrival time so that the invited crowd will see the prestigious form of transport being used. Sadly, things do not go quite as she expected...
TUE 20:30 Sorry! (p00xch7t)
Series 2
Great Expectations
Mother is out to get Aunt Esme's money for Timothy, and Timothy has encounters with a garage owner and his dogs.
TUE 21:00 A History of Britain by Simon Schama (b0074ls0)
Series 2
Britannia Incorporated
Simon Schama's epic history reaches the 18th century and the birth of modern Britain. Due to an economic explosion, the consumer society is born, agriculture becomes big business and London becomes the fastest growing city in Europe.
However, many in Scotland are unhappy with the union of the Scottish and English parliaments. When Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite army advance on London, the country's new-found peace and prosperity are threatened.
TUE 22:00 Berlusconi: Condemned to Win (m002vzgf)
Series 1
Episode 2
Fabio Capello leads Milan to a new era of glory, while Berlusconi steps onto Italy’s political stage, ushering in a turbulent new chapter in the nation’s politics.
TUE 22:45 Florence Nightingale: Nursing Pioneer (m001nj0b)
This film follows the life of an extraordinary woman who revolutionised modern nursing and whose legacy continues to benefit millions.
Born into a rich English family, Florence Nightingale broke through social and gender barriers to pioneer a profession previously reserved for men. Dedicating her life to helping those in need, she was a trailblazer who led a group of nurses to care for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War and developed revolutionary views about hygiene and sanitation.
Hailed as a heroine by Queen Victoria and the British people upon her return from the front, Florence went on to establish the Nightingale Training School for Nurses and reform healthcare at home and abroad.
Florence Nightingale died in 1910 aged 90, leaving behind an inspirational legacy.
TUE 00:00 The Sky at Night (m002wbqf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 Dam Busters Declassified (b00trb2g)
Martin Shaw takes a fresh look at one of the most famous war stories of them all. The actor, himself a pilot, takes to the skies to retrace the route of the 1943 raid by 617 Squadron which used bouncing bombs to destroy German dams. He sheds new light on the story as he separates the fact from the myth behind this tale of courage and ingenuity.
Using the 1955 movie The Dam Busters as a vehicle to deconstruct the raid, he tries to piece together a picture of perhaps the most daring attack in the history of aviation warfare.
Along the way, Shaw hears from the last RAF veteran of the raid, as well as a German survivor of the tsunami which resulted from the Moehne dam's destruction.
TUE 01:30 Berlusconi: Condemned to Win (m002vzgf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
TUE 02:15 Lost Cities of the Ancients (b00792vj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
WEDNESDAY 13 MAY 2026
WED 19:00 University Challenge (m001d2h6)
2022/23
Episode 7
Teams from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and the University of St Andrews put fingers on buzzers for the first time as round one of the quiz competition for students continues. Jeremy Paxman asks the questions.
WED 19:30 Only Connect (b00f7zsg)
Series 1
Episode 7
Quiz show presented by Victoria Coren in which knowledge will only take you so far, as patience and lateral thinking are also vital. It is all about making connections between things which may appear, at first glance, not to be connected at all.
WED 20:00 From Ice to Fire: The Incredible Science of Temperature (b09rzqp3)
Series 1
Frozen Solid
Everything around us - from the tiniest insect on Earth to the most distant stars of the cosmos - exists somewhere on a vast scale from cold to hot. In this series, physicist Dr Helen Czerski explores the extraordinary science of temperature. She unlocks the extremes of the temperature scale, from absolute zero to searing heat of stars - and reveals how temperature works, how deep its influence on our lives is, and why it's the hidden force that has shaped our planet and the entire universe.
In episode one, Helen ventures to the bottom of the temperature scale, revealing how cold has shaped the world around us and why frozen doesn't mean what you might think. She meets the scientists pushing temperature to the very limits of cold, where the normal laws of physics break down and a new world of scientific possibility begins. The extraordinary behaviour of matter at temperatures close to absolute zero is driving the advance of technology, from superconductors to quantum computing.
WED 21:00 The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story (b09w3m05)
Series 1
Episode 2
In April 1955 Ruth Ellis shot her lover David Blakely dead. It's a case that shocked the nation and it still fascinates today. It has its place in ushering in the defence of diminished responsibility and the eventual abolishment of capital punishment. We all think we know the story, but why, when it was seemingly such an open and shut case, does it still divide opinion on whether Ruth Ellis got the justice she deserved?
Film-maker Gillian Pachter wants to find out. The result is a fresh investigation with fascinating true-crime twists and turns that also shines a unique light on attitudes to class, gender and sex in 1950s London.
In episode two Gillian turns her attention to Ruth's trial which took just a day and a half. She starts with a tape-recorded conversation from the 1980s between Ruth's son Andre and the barrister who led the prosecution. Andre expresses doubts about his mother's trial, calling into question her state of mind and whether she was a cold-blooded killer.
Gillian is interested to know whether the defence shared these concerns and she turns her attention to Ruth's solicitor. There are immediate and compelling questions about how he was hired, by whom and why. Ultimately it seems he was determined that the jury should look beyond the tabloid stereotype of Ruth to understand her troubled background - that way, they'd be inclined to recommend mercy and save Ruth from execution. But Ruth and her barrister had other ideas - while she refused to play ball he pursued a defence strategy so risky that the judge was forced to put his foot down.
There's the ongoing question of Ruth's alleged accomplice and how much Ruth's defence team knew of his involvement and continuing revelations from the forgotten witness, Ruth's son Andre. Gillian draws on expert opinion from top legal minds who know the case intimately, and they paint a portrait of a woman trapped not only by the constraints of 1950s society but by the narrow parameters of English law.
WED 22:00 Remembers... (m001zyty)
Roy Clarke Remembers... A Foreign Field
Writer Roy Clarke is the man responsible for some of the BBC’s longest running and most popular sitcoms: Open All Hours, Keeping Up Appearances and Last of the Summer Wine. Despite the success of those series, the piece he’s proudest of is A Foreign Field, a one-off drama telling the story of war veterans returning to the beaches of France, remembering not just fallen comrades, but also their romantic escapades back in the day.
Here Roy tells the story of how A Foreign Field came to life, the role that the great Sir Alec Guinness played in getting the drama off the ground and his feelings on seeing one of his scripts being performed by a cast of film icons - not just Sir Alec, but also French screen legend Jeanne Moreau and one of the greats of Hollywood’s golden age, Lauren Bacall.
WED 22:15 Screen One (b00ntqq5)
Series 5
A Foreign Field
Nostalgic comic drama in which Cyril and Amos, two veterans of the Normandy landings, return to France to visit the grave of their wartime buddy. They encounter Waldo, an American on a similar mission, and the meeting sparks memories of an old girlfriend from the past. With the mysterious American lady Lisa in their wake, Cyril and Waldo decide to try and track her down.
WED 23:45 How to Get Ahead (b03z08mx)
At Versailles
Stephen Smith explores the flamboyant Baroque court of the Sun King, Louis XIV. Louis created the Palace of Versailles so he could surround himself with aristocrats, artists, interior designers, gardeners, wigmakers, chefs and musicians. Hordes of ambitious courtiers scrambled to get close to the king, but unseemly goings-on in the royal bedchamber reflected the quickest path to power.
WED 00:45 Florence Nightingale: Nursing Pioneer (m001nj0b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:45 on Tuesday]
WED 01:55 From Ice to Fire: The Incredible Science of Temperature (b09rzqp3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
WED 02:55 The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story (b09w3m05)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
THURSDAY 14 MAY 2026
THU 19:00 University Challenge (m001d9gn)
2022/23
Episode 8
Teams from the University of Sheffield and University College London take to the buzzers in another first round match. Jeremy Paxman asks the questions.
THU 19:30 Only Connect (b00fcy1m)
Series 1
Episode 8
Quiz show presented by Victoria Coren in which knowledge will only take you so far, as patience and lateral thinking are also vital. It is all about making connections between things which may appear, at first glance, not to be connected at all.
THU 20:00 The Morecambe and Wise Show (m002wbqh)
1968: The Lost Tape
A lost episode of the beloved UK comedy duo's show from 1968.
THU 20:25 The Perfect Morecambe and Wise (b04gv9xr)
Series 1
Episode 7
Eric dons a wig and Tom Jones performs Exactly Like You with some unlikely backing singers. Eric and Ernie take on the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with Dame Judi Dench and the boys get musical in There is Nothin' Like a Dame.
THU 20:55 Five to Eleven (m00263ts)
Dame Judi Dench
Judi Dench reads The Cultivation of Christmas Trees by TS Eliot and The The Cherry Tree Carol Poem by Anon.
THU 21:00 The Miracle Club (m002w9yz)
Dublin, 1967. The lure of Lourdes sees three wives and a prodigal daughter facing up to past actions and present fears on the trip of a lifetime.
THU 22:25 Personal Cinema: Maggie Smith (m002np32)
In a programme first broadcast in 1970, Maggie Smith talks to Michael Aspel about her career and chooses scenes from some of her favourite films, including Way Out West, The Last Hurrah, On the Waterfront, Some Like It Hot and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
THU 22:55 Tea with Mussolini (m000qspy)
Florence 1935. A circle of English ladies settled in the cultured city take an orphan boy, Luca, under their wing. But even a propaganda encounter with Il Duce cannot protect them when war comes, and it falls to Luca and two brash American women they barely tolerate to ease their existence.
Semi-autobiographical drama from Franco Zeffirelli.
THU 00:45 How to Get Ahead (b03z08mx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:45 on Wednesday]
THU 01:45 Art of Scandinavia (b073mp87)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
FRIDAY 15 MAY 2026
FRI 19:00 Top of the Pops (m002wbq6)
Jamie Theakston presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 22 October 1999 and featuring Macy Gray, B*Witched, ATB, Honeyz, Liam Gallagher & Steve Craddock, Steps, Tina Turner and Christina Aguilera.
FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m002wbq8)
Jamie Theakston presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 29 October 1999 and featuring Tina Turner, Simply Red, Eternal, Will Smith, A.T.F.C. Presents OnePhatDeeva, Destiny's Child and Westlife.
FRI 19:55 Top of the Pops (b09t9txw)
Peter Powell and Gary Davies present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 16 May 1985. Featuring Kim Wilde, Bryan Ferry, Duran Duran, Jimmy Nail, Debarge, Phyllis Nelson, Paul Hardcastle and Divine.
FRI 20:30 Top of the Pops (b090tsv5)
David Jensen and John Peel present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 10 May 1984 and featuring Belle and the Devotions, Queen, The Flying Pickets, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Terri Wells, The Pointer Sisters and Duran Duran.
FRI 21:05 Hot Chocolate at the BBC (b06dl1c5)
Errol Brown, who died aged 71 in May 2015, was probably the most famous and ubiquitous black British pop star of the 70s and early 80s. He co-founded Hot Chocolate with Tony Wilson in 1970 and the band went on to have a hit every year between 1971 and 1984.
This compilation of BBC performances and rare interview extracts celebrates Errol and Hot Chocolate, showcasing their Top 10 hits alongside rarely seen early performances and cult fan favourites.
We journey through over 15 years of chart smashes showcasing all the infectious numbers - Every 1's a Winner, Emma, So You Win Again and It Started With a Kiss - and of course, The Full Monty scene-stealer You Sexy Thing, a song that was in the charts in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
There are reminders of just how many Top 10 moments they had, with Girl Crazy and No Doubt About It, the hit that got away - Mindless Boogie - and their first appearance on BBC television with Love Is Life. Hot Chocolate were that rarity, a 70s British pop band who largely wrote their own tunes and arrangements and a mixed race band who perhaps inadvertently helped foster an early sense of British multi-culturalism. In Errol, they had a frontman who was not only a great singer, songwriter and frontman, but also resolutely and undemonstratively always himself, at ease in his own skin.
FRI 22:05 When Bob Marley Came to Britain (m000m7ht)
In the 1970s, Bob Marley rose from humble beginnings to become a global superstar. It was a journey that took place not just in his homeland of Jamaica but also in Britain - the place he came to regard as his second home.
Featuring rarely seen archive and interviews with people who met him, this documentary examines Marley’s special relationship with Britain. It reveals how his presence influenced British politics, culture and identity during a time of massive social and civil unrest in the UK - and how his universal message of one love and unity helped inspire a generation of black British youth.
This documentary also takes a revealing look at how Marley spent his time while he was in Britain – from the houses he lived in to football kickabouts in Battersea Park (Marley is revealed to have been a Tottenham Hotspur fan) and visits to the UK’s growing Rastafarian community, including secret gigs in the north of England.
It was in Britain that Marley established himself as an international artist, recorded some of his most successful albums and performed some of his most memorable concerts.
The film features interviews with people who met and worked with Bob Marley in the UK - and whose lives were changed by meeting him – including photographer Dennis Morris (who accompanied Marley on tour), Aswad star Brinsley Forde, Locksley Gishie from The Cimarons and film-maker Don Letts. Also interviewed is reggae legend Marcia Griffiths of Bob Marley’s vocal group The I-Threes.
There are also memories of the most important gigs he played in Britain as told by those who were there to see it happen. They include early Wailers gigs in small pubs and clubs when the band were still largely unknown, a now legendary acoustic performance in the school gym of a Peckham high school and a triumphant show at London’s Lyceum Theatre that helped propel Marley to global fame.
FRI 23:05 Bob Marley Reimagined (m001b6m4)
Celebrate the rich legacy of reggae legend Bob Marley in a concert filmed live at Birmingham Town Hall, featuring some of his most celebrated songs and special guests including his grandson Skip Marley.
Presented by Trevor Nelson, this one-hour special reimagines Bob Marley’s greatest hits, including Get Up Stand Up, Exodus, Redemption Song and Waiting in Vain, all layered with new orchestration by Chineke!, Europe’s first majority black and ethnically diverse orchestra.
Chineke! are joined by singer-songwriter JP Cooper, gospel and R&B legend Ruby Turner and Skip Marley, who makes his debut UK solo performance. Featuring interviews with the performers and members of the Marley family, this concert both honours and brings fresh interpretation to the beloved music of Bob Marley.
FRI 00:05 Reggae at the BBC (b00ymljd)
An archive celebration of great reggae performances filmed in the BBC Studios, drawn from programmes such as The Old Grey Whistle Test, Top of the Pops and Later... with Jools Holland. Featuring the likes of Bob Marley and the Wailers, Gregory Isaacs, Desmond Dekker, Burning Spear, Althea and Donna, Dennis Brown, Buju Banton and many more.
FRI 01:35 Top of the Pops (m002wbq6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
FRI 02:05 Top of the Pops (m002wbq8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
FRI 02:30 Top of the Pops (b09t9txw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:55 today]
FRI 03:05 Top of the Pops (b090tsv5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 today]